A thousand Syrian refugees are due to arrive in Britain before Christmas, in a major victory for campaigners.

David Cameron announced the plan tonight, less than a week after Citizens UK called for 1,000 Syrian asylum seekers to be brought to the UK before December 25.

He told MPs: “We want to see 1,000 refugees brought to Britain by Christmas and we’ll report on that after Christmas to tell you how we have done.”

His spokeswoman confirmed Mr Cameron “wants to see us step up the pace” of bringing Syrian asylum seekers to Britain.

David Cameron visiting a Syrian refugee camp (Image: Getty Images)

Citizens held a candlelit Westminster vigil last week as part of its #1000b4xmas campaign to pile pressure on the PM, who previously vowed to accept 20,000 Syrians by 2020.

They will be plucked from refugee camps after fleeing bloodthirsty Islamic State extremists and their homeland’s tyrannical ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Cameron hit out at criticism from 84 bishops who blasted his “increasingly inadequate” response to the migrant crisis gripping Europe.

The clergy urged the Government to take at least 50,000 refugees.

“I think they’re wrong, and I’ll say so very frankly,” rapped the PM.

“The right thing to do is to take 20,000 refugees from the camps and if you become part of the mechanism of distributing people around the European Union then you’re encouraging people to make that dangerous journey.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn repeated demands for Mr Cameron to take more than 20,000, saying it would boost the PM’s bid to renegotiate the UK’s relationship with Brussels before the In/Out referendum of Britain’s EU membership.

“If Britain played a more positive role on this front, it may create the goodwill in Europe to make headway in your other forthcoming negotiations,” Mr Corbyn claimed.